“It’s hard to justify 161â„2 games out,” Affleck told the Track. “I know that Valentine had a lot of respect from people going in, and people who know him have good things to say, but at some point you gotta win. I mean, they fired Tito,who was one of the great managers, won two World Series for them. … I just wish they could get it back together because I know people are going crazy back here.”

Like most Sox fans, Affleck said he has totally transferred his sports loyalties from baseball to the New England Patriots — and he’s working on a pretty good bromance with Tom Brady, who happens to be his neighbor in Brentwood, Calif.

“He’s the one guy in the world … when I see him, I’m really star-struck,” the Cambridge homey said. “I just want to say, ‘You are the (bleeping) best and he’s just, like embarrassed. ‘What’s it like to be the best quarterback ever, ever in the history of the game?’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, there’s been a lot of great quarterbacks,’ all humble and (bleep) and I’m ‘(bleep) that! You’re the best!’

“But seriously, he’s very impressive … he should have five rings, it kills me. Anyway, my attention is fully transferred, and they looked great (Sunday).”

Affleck was back home in Boston yesterday to promote his new flick, “Argo,” the based-on-a-true-tale of a CIA operative who freed six Americans during the Iran hostage crisis by disguising them as a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a sci-fi flick. Ben directs and stars as real-life “exfiltration” specialist Tony Mendez, sporting a less-than-flattering ’70s shag hairdo and beard in the flick.

“You show real courage as an actor when you don’t mind doing Barry Gibb,” Ben joked. “My kids hated it. They wanted me to shave the beard, cut the hair. I told them 50 times, ‘This is for work,’ but I don’t think they believed me. They’re like, ‘What work wants your hair on your face?’”

“Argo” isn’t in theaters until next month, but it’s already got some big Best Picture Oscar buzz ,and Affleck said he knew he had something to prove while making his first big-budget, not-set-in-Boston flick.

“I had modest success with ‘Gone Baby Gone,’â€‰” he said modestly. “And did pretty good with ‘The Town’ and it was like, ‘All right, he’s a Boston filmmaker — don’t try to take him to Providence! He doesn’t know how to do that!’â€‰”

Affleck admits he was nervous taking on the flick that he shot in Turkey, Washington, D.C., and California.

“But I didn’t want to feel that I had painted myself into a corner with Boston stories,” he said. “Even though there are a lot of good ones here, and they’ve not all been told.”

Apropos of that, Ben is working with his BFF Matt Damon on an as-yet-untitled Whitey Bulger film. Terence Winter of “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Sopranos” fame is writing the script, Affleck will direct, and Matt will play the Southie crime boss. He hopes to start shooting it in Boston in the next year or two.

“If there was a movie that me and Matt were meant to do together, this has gotta be the one,” he said. “It’s where my heart is, but there’s a lot of stuff, and we’re trying to cull it and we’re probably twice as careful about this one because we know the degree of scrutiny that people are going to have — particularly in Boston.”

Affleck said he’s not planning to act in the movie at the mo, but may be convinced to take on the role of corrupt FBI agent John Connolly.

“Connolly’s such a great part, but he just makes me sick,” he said. “With Whitey, at least you know he’s a gangster, he’s a criminal, he got people killed … it was no secret. But the FBI and Connolly in particular were the ones making sure he didn’t get arrested and allowing more people to get killed and exploited and abused.

“I’m tempted to do Connolly,” he continued. “But I don’t know … I feel like I could never show my face again in Boston.”